Garfield

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Garfield's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Garfield completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 21 September 2004.

Overall comments and recommendations

Garfield is based on the much loved cartoon strip by Jim Davis. The film however lacks the wit and satire of the comic strip and has a less than inspiring storyline which will make it unappealing to adults. Children though will be amused by the fat, lazy, lasagne-loving cat, with attitude, who becomes displaced by Odie the dog.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Garfield contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Garfield is a fat, lazy cat with attitude who freely roams his house and immediate neighbourhood but won’t venture out into the scary world beyond his cul-de-sac. However his world is turned upside down when owner Jon brings home a small dog called Odie in order to please veterinarian Liz on whom he has a crush.

Garfield soon lets Odie know who’s boss around the house, constantly kicking him out of his chair and favourite places. Garfield is concerned that Jon seems to be paying Odie more attention than him and lets Odie into places Garfield isn’t allowed. When Garfield is put outside one night, Odie takes pity on him and comes outside to be with him. Garfield however repays his kindness by getting back into the house shutting Odie out. Odie takes himself off for a walk but soon becomes lost. A kind lady takes him in but when she advertises the ‘found dog’ Odie is collected by ruthless Happy Chapman, a lame TV presenter, who wants the dog to help improve his act. Happy had previously seen Odie dance and had asked Jon to buy him but Jon refused.

Jon is now frantic because he thinks Odie has ‘run away’ and enlists Liz’s help to track him down. Garfield soon realises the trouble he’s caused and also sets out to find Odie.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is quite a lot of slapstick violence in this movie, including the following:

• Jon slips on a ball while chasing a mouse and lands heavily on the ground
• Garfield pretends to eat Louis the mouse but spits him out
• Garfield gets thrown out of a bucket and lands heavily
• Odie pushes Garfield off the chair sending him flying
• Garfield lands flat on the back windscreen when the car breaks suddenly
• Garfield climbs up a woman’s dress causing much havoc and sends a man flying
• Garfield practically demolishes the lounge room and the bookshelves fall down on top of him
• Garfield gets sucked through air conditioning ducts and repeatedly bangs into the walls.

Other violence that is not comic is that Garfield puts the electric collar on Happy and sends electric currents through him. Jon also punches Happy in the face

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

A few scenes in this movie could scare children in this age group:

• Garfield’s neighbour is a vicious Doberman, Luca, who growls and salivates and looks really fierce
• Happy getting electrical jolts through him
• the dogs who all attack Happy growl and snarl viciously.

Any violence, including slapstick, can disturb children, particularly under the age of five.

Over the age of eight

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children over the age of eight would not be scared by this movie

Sexual references

There are no sexual references

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity or sexual activity.

Use of substances

There is no use of substances.

Coarse language

There is no coarse language.

The movie's message

The movie’s message is that behaving unkindly will cause unhappiness.

The following content could be used by parents to discuss with their children what their own family’s values are, and what the real life consequences can be of some actions and attitudes:

• selfishness
• greed
• jealousy
• laziness
• violence as a way to solve conflict.